A View from the Surgeon General: The National Prevention Strategy — Working Together to Become a More Healthy and Fit Nation

By Regina M. Benjamin

July 15, 2013 | Commentary

In this commentary, Dr. Regina Benjamin highlights accomplishments of the National Prevention Council, an unprecedented gathering of multiple federal departments and agencies whose policies and practices bear on health. Authorized under the Affordable Care Act, the Council has been inspired and led by Dr. Benjamin and has moved us closer to making health in all policies the norm rather than the exception. The Council highlights health as everyone’s business and illustrates how all sectors of society can contribute to improving the social, environmental, and economic conditions that influence health outcomes. The new IOM Roundtable on Population Health Improvement, mentioned by Dr. Benjamin, follows a similar strategy of convening people from different sectors to inform and catalyze action on the array of factors that influence health. We, as citizens, all are indebted to Dr. Benjamin for her leadership as Surgeon General, and we could do nothing better to honor her service than to form and sustain the partnerships she calls for, to improve the health of our communities.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not necessarily of the authors’ organizations, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), or the NationalAcademies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies). The paper is intended to help inform and stimulate discussion. It is not a report of the NAM or the National Academies. Copyright by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.